Madison police fatally shoot man during arrest attempt, sparking protests

A police officer in Madison, Wisconsin, shot and killed a man in his 30s during an arrest attempt on Wednesday, an incident captured on cellphone footage that has sparked local protests, according to police statements and community advocacy groups.

The shooting occurred on a city street in a popular neighborhood lined with restaurants, bars, shops and residential homes less than 2 miles from the state capitol, according to Madison Police Chief John Patterson. Bystander video circulating online shows numerous cars stopped at an intersection with people watching as the incident unfolded. A crowd later gathered near the scene, with some people chanting “Arrest the cops!”

Patterson said police were responding to calls that someone was attempting to enter parked vehicles in the neighborhood. The suspect fled on a bicycle through nearby backyards before officers made contact. The man “either fell off or was taken off the bicycle by officers,” and during the ensuing struggle he pulled out a knife and injured an officer, the chief said.

In one of the videos circulating online, three officers are seen holding the man down and attempting to arrest him. The officers lose control of the suspect, who frees his arms and attempts to get up off his knees. One officer appears to reach for his pistol, when a female officer runs toward the others shouting “Taser! Taser!” That officer did not draw his firearm. After some jostling, the suspect falls to the ground, and the officer who had reached for his pistol fired, according to the video.

Patterson identified the man who was killed only as a male in his 30s and declined to specify his race or the race of any of the four officers — three men and one woman. The chief said he had reviewed two bystander-filmed video clips but stressed there was additional footage that had not yet been released.

“I want to take a moment to honestly and sincerely offer my heartfelt sympathies to his family for this loss,” Patterson said at a news conference.

The shooting immediately ignited tensions over race, an issue that has surrounded many deadly police shootings in the U.S. in recent years. The bystander video circulating online and on news media outlets suggested the man who was shot was a person of color, and all four officers appeared to be white. Brandi Grayson, head of Urban Triage, a Madison-based Black community advocacy group, said the man was Black.

“Another Black man is dead on a Madison street, and our community watched him die before we even knew his name,” Grayson said. “That is the cruelty of state violence.”

Patterson announced that an “independent” investigation would be conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s criminal division, and that all four officers would be placed on administrative leave.

The man’s name has not been released, and police have not said when it will be made public. The investigation is ongoing.